The 2023 Boston Marathon was a race to remember, especially for fans of Eliud Kipchoge. Despite his phenomenal track record and recent world record, Kipchoge ended up placing sixth, a surprising turn of events given his previous performances.
Known for his endurance and consistency, Kipchoge led the race for the first 19 miles. However, the 20th mile proved to be a turning point. When Gabriel Geay of Tanzania surged, Kipchoge lost contact and quickly fell back to seventh place.
Kipchoge finished the race in 2:09:23, which is notably slower than his personal best and recent world record of 2:01:09 set in Berlin less than seven months prior. The winner of the 2023 Boston Marathon was Evans Chebet of Kenya, who completed the race in 2:05:54.
Despite the unexpected outcome, Kipchoge remained positive. In a statement after the race, he said, “Today was a tough day for me. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but sometimes we must accept that today wasn’t the day to push the barrier to a greater height…In sports, you win and you lose, and there is always tomorrow to set a new challenge”.
Kipchoge’s performance in the 2023 Boston Marathon was out of the ordinary for the world record holder. Before this race, Kipchoge had only lost two marathons in 19 starts. His sixth-place finish and the time he clocked in Boston are uncharacteristic
